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(Happy came to visit me, she brought cookies on the way.)
Ruby pushed her hair behind her ear as she turned into a new isle of the library — if there were anywhere Blake would be, surely it would be somewhere with plenty of books. At least, she thought she would. She hated to admit it, but Ruby honestly didn’t know much about Blake, if anything at all. All she knew was that she was quiet and reserved, yet smart and collected — all good qualities, of course, but after what had happened the previous night, the girl couldn’t help but wonder how much her teammate was hiding. Could she even be trusted at all?
“Ruby!”
Ruby yelped as a loud voice pierced the silence of the building, nearly toppling over the shelf of books she’d been absently staring at. The other patrons of the library made a unanimous shushing sound for what must have been the third time in those past ten minutes. The redhead collected herself, looking up to see freckled cheeks and ginger curls, and she sighed, “Penny, I told you — libraries are meant to be quiet.”
“Oh!” Penny exclaimed, blinking as another choir of shushes echoed around her — she lowered her voice to something more of a stage whisper than an actual one, “I’m sorry! I got excited!”
“Excited?” Ruby tilted her head. Then her eyes widened as she perked up, “Wait, did you see Blake?”
The ginger’s expression turned sheepish, “Oh… well, no. But I did find something I think you would like!”
I would like to clear things up with my teammate, Ruby thought somberly, but there was something about the other girl’s unfiltered glee that she couldn’t help but want to entertain, “What is it?”
“Come with me,” Penny said, taking the girl’s hand into her own — her hands were cold, Ruby realized with a soft breath. The only other people she’d really held hands with were Yang or her dad, and their hands were always warm. Too warm if she was being honest — she never liked holding either of their hands for too long, as her palms would get all gross and sweaty. But Penny’s hands were cold, like a rock on a winter’s day when the sun was hiding behind a thin layer of clouds, and her cheeks and nose would blush to the point that they nearly matched her hood — she had a much fairer complexion than her father and sister, making it near impossible to hide things from them like being cold, or bashful—
Or denying that she’d been crying when she came back from the cliffside every week—
“Ruby, look here!” Penny’s cheery tone broke through Ruby’s thoughts, and the girl blinked back to reality to see a small stand sitting near the checkout desk. Laid out on it was a small glass case filled with all kinds of soft and warm pastries — croissants, danishes, tarts, scones, any and every sweet or savory snack that one could think of. Ruby’s eyes found the familiar shape of a large chocolate chunk cookie, and her mouth watered.
“Ruby?” Penny leaned down to meet her eyes, tilting her head, “You are not saying anything. Was I incorrect in my assumption?”
Ruby blinked at the girl, “What? Oh, no! No, Penny, this is really nice, I just… why here? I mean, these look genuinely homemade — shouldn’t this be its own store?”
Penny looked back to the stand, once again tilting her head stiffly, then turned back to look at Ruby with an easy smile, “I do not know. Perhaps it is a business practice — I… believe that is the correct term.”
Ruby’s eyebrows bounced in amusement as she chuckled, “Sounds about right.”
“Would you like one?” Penny asked merrily, “I would be happy to pay for it.”
Ruby blinked several times, once again caught off guard by her sincerity, “Oh! Uh, no, that’s okay, Penny. You really don’t have to.”
“But it would make you happy, wouldn’t it?” The girl inquired, “I have heard that foodstuffs containing sucrose can release dopamine in the nucleus accumbens of the brain, thus promoting a satisfied mental state.”
Ruby narrowed her eyes, her brow cocking up in confusion, “I, uh… what?”
“Sugar makes people happy!” She reiterated with a grin — her expression waned a bit, however, as she brought her hands up to her chest and glanced down, her finger tapping against her knuckle shyly, “You have been rather… afflicted today regarding your teammate’s absence. I may not understand how the problem arose, but I do not think that you would want to still be upset once you find Blake again. And… I do not like to see you upset either, so as your friend, I believe it is my duty to make sure that you are consistently well and in high spirits.”
Her smile returned, then, and she once again gestured to the stand, “Therefore, I would like to purchase for you a pastry with high levels of sugar and simple carbohydrates so that you may feel better!”
Ruby stared back at the girl, lips parted and eyebrows raised — Penny was… not like any other person she’d met before. She was strange, that was for sure, but that strangeness solely came from her pure sincerity and candor, and she supposed there were much worse ways to be strange than that. Even if she was met with apprehension, she still kept a friendly face, and Ruby could tell that it wasn’t just a facade — it was just who Penny was: kind, curious, and genuine.
A smile pulled at the redhead’s lips, and she hummed, “That’s… really sweet, Penny. Thanks.”
Penny grinned from ear to ear, the corners of her eyes crinkling ever so slightly, “Of course, Ruby! I would do anything for my best friend!”
An onslaught of frustrated shushes suddenly hit them, and both girls sheepishly whispered their apologies. As the two girls exited the library, the sun had already begun to set. Ruby couldn’t help the frown tugging at her face as she thought about her dark-haired teammate, but the warmth of the cookie in her hands did alleviate her worries just a bit. Penny happily walked alongside her, almost skipping as she scanned the streets for her friend’s missing teammate, only to be stopped when Ruby held out the sweet treat toward her face, “You want a bite?”
Penny blinked at her, looking down at the cookie, then back at her, then back at the cookie, then raised her hands in gentle dismissal, “Oh, no, that is okay. I bought it for you, after all.”
“You sure?” Ruby asked, “I don’t mind sharing.”
“I am sure,” Penny nodded soundly, “And… I am allergic to chocolate, anyways, so I could not have it even if I did want it.”
As she said that, her shoulders bounced with a soft hiccup, her hand flying to her mouth politely. Ruby just giggled, taking a bite of the cookie as they continued through the streets of the city in search of their wayward friend.
(I poured her tea and she told me it'll all be okay.)
The hall was littered with people — students in poofy dresses and well-ironed suits traversed the ballroom on all sides. Some people stood front and center of the dance floor, showing off their moves that may or may not have actually been any good. Others stuck to the sides, either sitting at one of the chairs by the windows or observing the floor from the balcony above. Ruby was happy to partake in the latter option.
It was funny — with all the effort she’d put in to make sure that her team would enjoy the night together, she’d forgotten exactly what the night itself entailed. That being the fancy attire, the somewhat cultivated refreshments, and most taxing: the shoes. The poor girl’s feet felt like they were walking on rocks, her balance thrown off in every which way from the sheer height of the heels she was wearing — hadn’t Weiss told her that pumps were easy to walk in? Then again, she shouldn’t have expected much from a girl who somehow fights in the cursed things.
Ruby heaved a sigh as she let her shoulders droop — she wasn’t unhappy per se, but she couldn’t say she was exactly having a blast. Despite her insistence towards Blake about taking a night away from her worries, she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Torchwick was planning for Vale, and why he needed the help of the White Fang to go through with it.
She clenched the railing — whatever it was, she was going to stop it. They all were. That’s what Huntresses did.
A gentle tap on her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts, and Ruby followed it expecting to see an ocean of golden waves as her sister fondly teased her for straying from the party. What she hadn’t expected to see was Penny smiling cheerfully at her, donning a cute pale green dress with a white collar and short sleeves, “Hello, Ruby!”
“Penny?” Ruby inquired, “What are you doing here? I thought you were told to lay low.”
Her tone was less scolding and more concerned — she’d been quite happy to see the girl at the dance, but before she could even say hello, she had been ushered away by two heavily armed Atlesian guards (she made sure they saw her stick her tongue at them before she left). Yet here Penny was, alone with no guards in sight, and as great as it was to see her, Ruby couldn’t help but wonder how she’d managed to sneak away from them.
Penny’s brows creased in a slightly embarrassed look, “I… may have told the guards that I saw some students performing suspicious activities near the restrooms. I do not like to lie, but I just had to come to say hello!”
Ruby leaned over the railing to look over at the corner of the ballroom, catching sight of one of the guards as they left the main floor to examine the restrooms. She couldn’t help but snicker, shaking her head fondly as she looked back up to the other girl, “You are one sly bot.”
Penny’s smile never wavered, but she did tilt her head a bit, “Bot?”
Realizing what she’d said, Ruby suddenly recoiled, her hands flying up in front of her frantically, “Oh, I’m sorry! That was probably really rude, I swear I didn’t mean it like that, it just kinda slipped out, and—”
But rather than chide her, Penny simply laughed heartily, her hands clutching her stomach as she bent over slightly from the force of it, “Bot! I get it! Because I am a synthetic person! Oh, that is very humorous, Ruby!”
Ruby, on the other hand, still felt like her heart had fallen down into her stomach, and she actually had to cough out a few relieved breaths before the ability to speak returned to her, “O-oh! Okay? I— you’re not upset? I mean, I just figured—”
“Oh, Ruby,” Penny giggled, “You are very sweet, but I assure you, as long as you keep my secret, I am more than happy to exchange silly quips about our identities with you! Let me see… if I am a bot, then you are… a biped!”
At that, she burst into another fit of giggles, her curls bouncing with every laugh, and Ruby couldn’t help but laugh with her, despite not really getting the punchline. There was just something about Penny’s constant enthusiasm that made her feel at ease — Penny was easy to talk to, never throwing her any curveballs or expecting her to behave a certain way. Ruby took comfort in knowing that no matter what she displayed or how she acted, Penny would never misunderstand her or look down on her.
Amidst their laughter, though, the sound of loud footsteps echoed nearby, and Ruby spotted one of the Atlesian guards making their way up the stairs to the balcony. She shared a slightly somber look with the other girl, “Looks like the fun police are in pursuit.”
Penny followed her gaze, her shoulders falling a bit before she turned back to the girl and took her hands into her own, “It has been wonderful talking with you, Ruby. I wish you and your team the best of luck on your mission tomorrow!”
Ruby smiled with a softness she’d never expressed before, “Thanks, Penny. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it.”
With a sweet smile, Penny nodded and waved as she made her way over to the stairs. Before she was out of sight, though, she briefly stopped and cupped her hand over her mouth to call to Ruby, “Oh! I also wanted to say that you look absolutely lovely tonight!”
Ruby’s lips formed a small ‘O’ shape, and rather than reply, she could only chuckle dumbly, waving back to her friend with flushed cheeks, Woof, I need to get some air.
(Well, I told her I’d do anything to have her stay with me.)
The floor was cold against Ruby’s knees. Her eyes stung from staying open for too long, yet she couldn’t bring herself to even blink. Thundering footsteps passed by her in waves, people screaming and cursing as they shoved past one another to escape the arena. A couple of people stopped when they saw her, bending down to ask if she was alright — to try to help her on her feet so she could leave, too — but Ruby couldn’t even spare them a glance. All she could think about was the image of her friend strewn about on the ground, limbs severed and sparking with electricity as her eyes lost focus — as she was lost to the world.
Penny.
This… couldn’t be happening. No, no, she’d just spoken to Penny yesterday — they had laughed together, congratulated each other, and talked about their plans for the future. She’d been there, so lively and excited, and that excitement had rubbed off on her, too. Penny had that effect on her — to make it so that Ruby could forget about all of her worries if even for a moment.
I want to stay at Beacon.
She would look cute in a Beacon uniform, Ruby realized. They could have shared a dorm hall. They could have had sleepovers. They could have talked about weapons or boys or whatever. What had her plan been for that? Why couldn’t she have stayed and talked for a little bit longer?
I’ll talk to you more soon, Ruby!
Ruby choked on a cry, when is ‘soon’, Penny? Can we still talk?
Thousands of thoughts had been running wildly through her head, she hadn't even noticed the thundering sound coming from above. Ruby’s body felt like lead, her muscles weak and her bones too stiff to allow any movement. It felt like the world was moving around her, yet she was trapped in some sort of loop. It wasn’t until she heard the shattering of the arena’s force field that she was able to regain control and blink, tears falling to the floor from both the strain and her grief.
Looking up, Ruby recognized the shadow of a nevermore as it landed on the battle floor, opening its wings and letting out an ear-piercing shriek. On instinct, her body moved, preparing to wield Crescent Rose only to find it wasn’t at her hip — it was still in her locker back at the school. Pyrrha was laid across the floor, unmoving as the Grimm advanced.
I’m combat-ready!
A silver sword stood crooked on the floor, and Ruby felt her body lighten as rose petals fluttered around her in a red tornado. Her feet kicked off the floor, and the world became a blur around her as she wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the fallen weapon. The next thing she knew, it was lodged in the monster’s skull — her ears rang with the sheer force of the cry it let out as she flipped away. As she landed, she flicked the sword free of the black ooze that had painted it.
“…Ruby?” Pyrrha’s voice was so small, almost static, and her heart broke impossibly more. Why, oh why did it have to be them? Pyrrha, kind to no end, honorable and strong in every way a huntress should be? And Penny — sweet, happy, excitable Penny? It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair.
But only one of them was lost to her, now, and Ruby would be damned if she’d let another one of her friends die while she just sat and watched. She donned an offensive stance, tears running down her face. She hardly recognized her own voice when she spoke, her vocal cords still sore from crying.
“Leave her alone!”
(She laid me down, and I felt happy.)
Ruby was exhausted — it had been a long, long, long day. Planning to leave Argus had been a lengthy process, from figuring out how to get on the airship to discussing the necessary steps for cutting the radar without being noticed. That had left everyone with a mere three or four hours of sleep before they had to set off again, and that was all before the plan had so spectacularly fallen apart after Blake and Yang had been forced to go AWOL. Not to mention the numerous hoops they had to jump through once they’d finally arrived in Atlas — Ruby had learned to expect the unexpected, but walking into the academy in handcuffs had not been on her list of bizarre expectations.
Though, she hadn’t prepared to see Penny’s smiling face again, either.
Ruby sighed deeply and tried to refocus on the warm water of the shower as it ran down her body. She’d needed this — she hadn’t had time to properly clean up at Sapphron’s place, and despite the biting cold — or perhaps because of it — Atlas’ plumbing certainly delivered with its hot water. She would happily run it out tonight, dismissing her sister’s inevitable rage as a problem for future Ruby.
Eventually, the heat began to make her woozy — she lazily twisted the knob to turn the water off, stepping out of the shower into a cloud of steam as she aimlessly groped for a towel and roughly dried her hair. Yang would chastise her for not blow-drying it, saying it would dry awkwardly if she slept with it still damp, to which she would very maturely counter-argue by sticking her tongue out at her.
The pajamas Atlas offered were comfortable — not too form-fitting but enough so they weren’t baggy. Ruby stretched in them, hearing a couple of her joints pop from the pleasant strain. The huntress was just about ready to flop into bed and pass out for a whole week, but there was still something — someone — she couldn’t get out of her head. Hair lazily tied back and barefoot, Ruby padded out of the room while her teammates got settled and started down the hallway.
Truthfully, she had no idea where she was going, but she had a feeling that if she got lost, she’d be found in good time — preferably not by one of the night patrol guards. From behind the many doors, she caught the sounds of students conversing, whether it be about their studies, their concerns regarding the kingdom, or simply about trivial things like their favorite shows or whatever drama is stirring within the student body. Ruby shook her head in a half-fond, half-solemn way — she couldn’t help but mourn the simpler life she had at Beacon.
Something dark stirred in her chest, if only…
“Ruby!”
Ruby nearly hit the ceiling with how high she sprung into the air, an embarrassing yelp escaping her as she stumbled over her own feet. She grumbled incoherently as she looked up to meet the source of her shock, only to have the curses fall away as she found herself gazing into bright green eyes.
Penny stood smiling, her long curls flowing down her back in an artificial wave — they bounced as she tilted her head, and the action was so familiar that Ruby felt something jerk in her chest, “Salutations! What are you doing out of your room in your sleepwear?”
Ruby just stared dumbly back, her jaw slack as she blinked, “Oh, uh… I was just, um…”
To her relief, though, Penny seemed to come to her own conclusion, gasping softly, “Are you sleepwalking? Perhaps I should carry you back to your room?”
“Ah— no, that’s— that’s alright,” Ruby stuttered, “I’m awake, don’t worry.”
Penny blinked at her owlishly, “Then… what are you doing?”
Ruby waved her hands aimlessly, stuttering out a few more awkward noises as she wracked her brain for some kind of sensible excuse — but then Penny’s smile dropped into a small pout, her brows creasing in concern, and Ruby lost all impulse control. She approached the girl carefully, then threw her arms around the other’s shoulders and squeezed, her feet lifting up to just her toes as she did.
Penny squeaked in surprise from the hug, standing stiffly with her arms lifted awkwardly. Then, upon realizing what was happening, she returned the hug with way more force than was necessary, but Ruby could have cared less about the possible bruising of her ribs — Penny was cool against her still-hot skin, the familiar built-in smell of strawberry shampoo tickling her nose as she pressed her face into the girl’s shoulder. Penny was here. She was here. Ruby felt her shoulders begin to shake.
Eventually, Penny’s deathly grip loosened a bit, and while she kept her arms around the other girl’s waist, she seemed somewhat put off by her actions, “Ruby… are you okay?”
Ruby huffed out a breath, biting back tears to the best of her ability, “…Yeah. I just… I’m so happy to see you, Penny.
“Aw!” Penny exclaimed, “I am happy to see you too, Ruby!”
“No, Penny—” Ruby pulled away, resting her hands on the other’s shoulders, “You… you were gone. Torn apart. I mean… are you okay?”
Penny nodded as if she’d been asked if the sky was blue, “Of course! My father was able to rebuild me, and now I’m better than ever!”
“But…” Ruby wasn’t sure how to feel about that — about how easy it was for Penny to just brush off the very same image that had haunted her own dreams for months on end, “Penny, you—”
“Ruby,” Penny’s voice softened then, and she took Ruby’s hands off her shoulders so that she could lace them together with her own — she smiled at the other so sweetly, “I promise you that I am well. I understand that my… accident at the Vytal festival was quite shocking, and I do regret that you have been burdened with that for all this time, but I assure you, with this upgraded body, I am much more durable even if my aura were to break!”
She looked down at their intertwined hands, her expression growing impossibly softer, “I had been worried, at first, when my father told me about what happened at Beacon — I have never lost faith in you, Ruby, but after hearing that… I was fearful that you had been injured, or worse.”
She brought her eyes back to meet hers, silver and jade reflecting within one another, “So I am very happy to know that you are well, Ruby. You are my best friend — you mean the world to me.”
Ruby’s lip quivered despite her smile, her face growing hot as she blinked away a few teardrops. For the first time in a while, her heart felt so full, “You mean the world to me too, Penny.”
(I was in the bathroom, I didn’t hear her leave.)
“I sort of thought you’d be a little happier to see us,” Weiss announced as she approached the others. Ruby stood from where she’d been kneeling in the dirt, a pinch of amusement lacing her expression as she watched Yang struggle to sit up with Blake still draped over her.
“I am,” Yang said with a sigh, “It’s just… it must have gone pretty bad, huh?”
Her question was answered with silence as Blake and Ruby exchanged looks of uncertainty. It wasn’t until they heard the sound of a soft sniffle that they turned their attention to Weiss — the snowy-haired huntress stood so small, her hands curled into fists at her sides as her shoulders tensed. Another quiet breath escaped her, and when Ruby saw a tear fall down her cheek, her blood ran cold, “Weiss…”
“I…” Weiss’ voice cracked, strained with emotion, “Everything happened so fast—”
Ice seemed to spread over Ruby’s body, starting at her toes and fingertips and slowly inching further with every word the other spoke.
“— No one came back from Vacuo to help—” It was at her joints, now. She couldn’t feel her hands. She couldn’t move her limbs.
“And Penny—” Biting cold shot past her limbs and into her core — her stomach turned with a sudden wave of nausea, and her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. She couldn’t breathe.
“Jaune tried to help, but… she sacrific d he self, h av th wi…” The ice had reached her neck, coiling around her throat and invading her ears so that all she heard was a deep, piercing ringing echoing through her brain. Her head throbbed as the cold wrapped around her skull, and by the time it reached the very top, Ruby had already hit the ground.
(When you go, take this heart.)
She was falling again.
She was getting tired of this, really. Was it so much to ask for the consistent steady ground beneath her feet? Well, she supposed it was, here — and if it wasn’t, then there certainly was some other trick to it.
Trick. She’d been tricked. Or rather, she’d tricked herself. She should have known that the cat was dangerous, she should have listened to Jaune instead of the words of an irksome, transmogrifying animal. Maybe then… maybe…
What? What difference would it have made? Without them, they would still have been lost and confused, desperate for answers or some sort of way to escape. No, it was not the cat’s fault that they were in this mess — it was hers.
How many more people are going to die because of you?
Every choice she’d ever made was the wrong one. Keeping the truth from Ironwood, not preparing for Robyn’s rally, standing with Mantle, splitting up, leaving Penny on her own, challenging Ironwood’s ultimatum, using the staff, forgetting about Cinder—
Have you ever stopped to wonder if you’ve done more harm than good?
Yes — every day, all the time, without end. But she wasn’t allowed to consider that, not when everyone was counting on her. It was her responsibility, right? She had to keep things together — a teenager that never even graduated high school, never had anyone to shadow in leadership, never had a chance to learn how to be a huntress. All she’d ever known was her childish fantasies, the ideas that had been put in her head from years of bedtime stories and games. She wanted to be a huntress, but she didn’t even bother to find out what a huntress even was.
How many more lives do you have to ruin before you realize you’re not cut out to save anyone?
That’s right… who had she ever really saved? She tried to save Penny but arrived too late. She tried to save Pyrrha, only to watch her disintegrate right before her eyes. She tried to save Beacon just for it to fall to pieces regardless. Haven, Argus, Mantle, Atlas — Weiss, Qrow, Yang, Penny—
Can you imagine what that’s like?
Every single one of them had either been saved by someone else or left to crash and burn in the wake of her retreat.
To be completely and utterly failed—
She had never really done any good. All she’d ever done was piggyback off of others and pretend that she was as tall as them.
Time and again—
She wasn’t a huntress. She was a mistake. A failure, just like her mother. If she ever saw her again, maybe at the end of this fall, she was sure she would do something terrible to her, too. She resented her for that. She hated that she hated her.
By someone who meant the world to you?
Ruby Rose was not worthy of that love. She never had been. She let her eyes close, feeling the gravity around her begin to alter, the hairs on her skin prickling as something seemed to draw her in. As the tree claimed her. She surrendered. It was better this way.
So why did it still hurt so badly?
( ̶I̶’̶l̶l̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶’̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶.̶)
Ruby’s voice was hoarse, her throat sore and her body so very tired. She had never cried so hard in her life. Her entire being was enveloped with warmth on all sides as her teammates — her family — held her close, and that alone made her want to cry again.
There had been many tears when they had found each other again — Yang had run up to her so fast and she had expected a bone-crushing hug. Instead, she felt her sister’s hands touch her with the delicacy of a gardener tending to their precious flowers before she was carefully pulled into the deepest, warmest hug she’d ever felt. Her sister had cried, murmuring sweet words of relief and love into her hair as she kissed her crown over and over again, and before she knew it, Ruby was crying too.
Blake and Weiss had followed close behind — the faunus had looked like she’d been through hell, her hair sticking up in random places and her ears stiff with anxiety. She had clung to Yang like a lifeline, though her eyes were set on Ruby as if using the blonde as leverage for the relief she so desperately needed to share with the younger but refused to do so in case she didn’t want it. When Ruby had nodded, reaching her arm out to the woman, Blake had gathered her into her arms with a sigh that punched out of her chest before slowing to an easy breath.
Weiss, on the other hand, had all but thrown herself onto her partner, her voice tiny and weak as she blubbered out scoldings that had no venom to them. Ruby had held her close, finding comfort in the faded scent of lilac soap hiding under the layers of sweat from the chaotic days prior. She answered all of the woman’s demands, nodding along as she rambled on with “don’t you ever do that again, do you hear me?” and “I’m your partner, I’ll always be here, okay?” and “if my hair wasn’t white already, it would be graying just from today.”
There had been long talks, apologies left and right, tearful confessions, and whispered reassurances, all coming together in a group hug that still hadn’t dispersed. Ruby felt it a bit awkward, at first, but listening to the heartbeats of her friends — hearing their soft, even breaths that were occasionally interrupted by a stray sob — she couldn’t help but close her eyes and just let herself be. She didn’t know how to explain it, but at that moment, there was one thing that she was absolutely certain of.
It may not be today, tomorrow, or even anytime soon — it could take several years, and maybe she’d have gray hairs by that time — but someday the dark feeling in her chest would be overshadowed by hope and love, and she was going to feel okay.
And right now, despite everything, her heart felt full.
(Maybe I will see you, in the night I’ll see you.)
Ruby gazed up into the night sky of Vacuo — stars littered the vast sea of black, illuminated by the cool light of the moon. It was strange to be back home, she realized. Her time in the Ever After had hardly lasted more than a day, yet it felt like she had been there for centuries. She certainly wasn’t the same person she’d been when she fell.
Someone carefully walked up from behind her — Ruby knew those footsteps like the back of her hand: heavy and relaxed, walking in a paced, confident stride no matter where they went — and the corner of her mouth quirked up, “Hey, sis.”
Yang leaned against the railing of the balcony next to her with a nod, “Hey. Getting some air?”
Ruby hummed, her shoulder bouncing in a half-shrug, “Just needed to think about some stuff.”
The blonde’s head tilted slightly, and Ruby didn’t miss the way her brows creased just a hair, “Yeah? What kind of stuff?”
Ruby shrugged again, her finger idly tracing the patterns of the sandstone beneath her. She could feel Yang’s gaze on her temple, and she curled her fingers in with a soft sigh. Yang scooted a bit closer to her and rested her palm next to hers, “You good if I touch you?”
Ruby’s shoulders fell a bit at that — this was one of the new things she’d been working on, now. She was still very prone to feeling overwhelmed, with images of fiery blades and ghost-like skin flashing through her mind — in those moments, at least physically, she needed to be left alone. The smallest of touches sometimes felt like a stab to her heart, and that would only cause her to spiral further. It was helpful when people asked first, but she still had a ways to go before she got used to it.
“Yeah,” She replied, glancing over to her sister with a small smile, “I’m good.”
Yang mirrored her smile as she rested her hand on the small of Ruby’s back, just underneath her hood, and absently traced her thumb up and down her spine. The touch was warm and grounding, and Ruby felt a good bit of tension leave her muscles.
“Man, I’m not sure what I was expecting,” Her sister chuckled, “but after spending so long in Atlas, the cold here is almost comforting.”
Ruby hummed in agreement — Vacuo’s sun was unforgiving, beading down on every living thing in sight until they were either a sweaty mess or shriveled up like a raisin. The nights, however, were the complete opposite — dry heat quickly shifted into bitter cold, forcing everyone into their homes so they could warm up again. Ruby had been taken off guard by the heat, needing to shed a couple of layers because of it, so she was somewhat thankful that the nights granted her a bit of relief.
“Yang… can I ask you something?”
Yang hummed to tell her she was listening, and Ruby hesitated, trying to choose her words carefully, “When were… I mean… how did you know you were in love with Blake?”
She made sure to look over at the other’s face as she asked that, and was not at all disappointed — Yang’s face flushed pink as her eyebrows shot up, her eyes darting down to her sister’s to catch the smallest of smirks on her face, “Wha— huh? What does that— ? Where’s this coming from?”
“Just answer the question,” Ruby deadpanned, brow cocking up in amusement.
Yang bit her lip, hand running up to brush through her bangs as she coughed out a chuckle, “I, uh… man, I don’t know, I… I guess I just kinda… knew. Like it was something I’d known my whole life and just… never realized it.”
“Really?” Ruby asked, “There wasn’t a specific thing that made you realize, or…?”
The powerhouse of a woman stuttered, her face almost as red as the other’s hood, “I mean, that whole cloud thing in the Ever After definitely cleared things up— why are we talking about this, again?”
“Just curious,” The younger shrugged. However, her amusement didn’t last too long as she thought about the real reason she’d asked in the first place. Her posture fell slightly, her smile fading as she glanced back up at the sky.
Yang noticed this, her bashfulness dissipating as she acknowledged her sister. Upon seeing her blue expression, her tone turned to something more comforting and maternal, “Hey, look — I don’t want you to think that I’m just… leaving you behind, or anything. You know I’m always gonna be here for you, right?”
Ruby stiffened at that, shaking her head frantically, “Oh, no! No, it’s not that, not at all! I… ugh, I’m sorry about what I said — I’m so happy for you two, really — I was just… I just felt so scared and angry—”
“Rubes, hey,” Yang placed a hand on her shoulder, “It’s okay, I get it — of all people, you should know that I do.”
Ruby exhaled softly, a fond smile crossing her face — of course, Yang understood, she always understood. She glanced down at her hands, her fingers twiddling with each other awkwardly, “Yeah, I do. I really am happy for you guys — heh, and Weiss certainly is, too.”
Yang snorted, “Please… she’s never gonna let either of us live this down.”
The sisters shared a brief laugh, but unfortunately, Yang was not easily distracted. Her expression turned from laid-back to more focused as she looked back to the other, “So… what’s really eating you?”
Ruby’s smile fell a bit, and she lifted her gaze back up to the stars, “I… I don’t think it’s the same as you and Blake, but… I…”
“Wait a minute…” A smirk pulled at Yang’s lips as she spoke in a singsong tone, “Rubes, do you have something to share with the class?”
But then Ruby looked back at her with a somber expression, and she silently dialed back, her brows furrowing a bit while she nodded to show she was listening. Ruby smiled with her eyes in gratitude, then looked back at her folded hands, “I…”
She didn’t speak again for several seconds, but Yang was ever-patient, her hand a grounding weight on the younger’s shoulder as her thumb gently rubbed back and forth. Ruby ran the words several times over in her head, then heaved a deep sigh, “I think I loved her, Yang.”
Yang shifted to find the girl’s eyes, her tone as soft as the coo of a dove, “Who?”
Ruby met her gaze, eyes shining, “Penny.”
The name hung in the air for a good while — Yang’s eyes widened in surprise as it passed the other’s lips. Then her face crumpled into a look of sympathetic heartbreak, “Oh… oh, Ruby…”
She didn’t hesitate to lean in and hug her sister, her arms wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her in gently — Ruby was reminded of that day in the Schnee manor, where she’d felt so close to breaking until Yang had found her by the stairs. She sighed shakily, reaching up to hold her sister’s forearm as she leaned into the embrace. Her voice was strained as she tried to speak past the lump forming in her throat, “I’d never really thought about it like that before, but… when I saw you and Blake together, something just… clicked. I was angry, at first, that it had taken too long for me to figure it out — that I’ll never be able to… to do anything about it — but right now… right now I think I’m just grateful that I was able to figure it out at all.”
Yang hugged her tighter, and she heard her take a shaky breath. She frowned — she hadn’t meant to make her cry — and after a few moments, her sister spoke, voice cracking slightly, “Ruby, I… gods, I’m so sorry.”
“S’ fine,” Ruby muttered, then regretted it immediately as Yang pulled away to lift her chin up so that their eyes could meet.
“No, Rubes, it’s not,” Her sister almost sounded like she was pleading, “You don’t deserve this — neither of you have ever deserved this. The world hasn’t been fair to the two of you, and… it’s okay to acknowledge that.”
That doesn’t seem fair — none of this seems fair, The words of her youthful ghost echoed in Ruby’s mind, and she felt her jaw begin to quiver, fear stirring in her chest, “But… I don’t want to end up where I was again.”
The implications of the sentence went unspoken, as they weren’t needed here — neither wanted to have to relive that moment. Instead, Yang gently brushed her fingers through Ruby’s hair, her face flushing with emotion, “I know… I know, and I promise to help make sure you never get to that point again. But if you do — if you feel yourself falling — know that I’ll be here to catch you. Same with Blake and Weiss. And Jaune, Ren, Nora, Oscar, Qrow — you have so many people who love you and see you, Ruby.”
Ruby’s next breath came out as a sob, and she leaned into her sister’s chest, letting the other cradle her head and whisper into her hair, “I can’t promise you that you’ll find that kind of love again, because the truth is, you may not. But that doesn’t mean you should give up on it — hold onto that love, keep it safe in your heart, and let it drive you to keep going. That’s the best way to move forward.”
The redhead made a pitiful sound against her sister, wrapping her arms around her middle and letting herself cry softly. Yang was right there with her, trying and failing to hold back her own sniffles as she pressed a kiss to her forehead. The two stayed that way for a long, quiet moment, and maybe Ruby was just tired, but for a moment, she thought she could feel a third body pressed against her back, cool like a rock on a winter’s day.
Eventually, her cries began to subside, yet Ruby still held tight to her sister — Yang always gave the best hugs, she recalled, and she was well overdue for a deep one — but then the blonde made a strange snorting noise, and Ruby glanced up, “What is it?”
“Your hair,” Yang chuckled wetly, “it’s tickling my nose.”
Ruby felt a smile pull at her lips before she could stop it, “Then get your face out of it, dummy.”
“Aw, but it’s so spiky and fun!” The blonde protested, suddenly pulling her sister close and aggressively rubbing her face against her head. Ruby yelped and cursed her, complaining about her messing it up and making them look weird, but she couldn’t get many words past the torrent of laughter pushing out of her chest, her face splitting into a grin that she hadn’t worn in a long, long while.